site.btaChief of Defence Eftimov Attends NATO Military Committee Meeting in Brussels

Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov took part in a NATO Military Committee meeting in Brussels, Belgium, the Defence Ministry said here on Thursday. 

"Incidents in maritime spaces and sabotage against critical undersea infrastructure require strengthening naval cooperation and increasing maritime situational awareness. A possible approach to address this challenge is the establishment of a naval cooperation and control of navigation function in the Black Sea," he said. "This would complement NATO's maritime situational awareness capability, providing information for early warning and decision support during a crisis. This capability would be an effective solution that would contribute to enhancing the resilience of critical undersea infrastructure." 

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte welcomed the defence chiefs of Member States and shared his views on key issues for the alliance, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He presented an analysis of the situation in the Euro-Atlantic area and outlined the priority areas where military expertise will be sought to support important policy decisions on the future of the Alliance.

The chiefs of defence discussed the assessment of the NATO's readiness to respond, the status of missions and operations, deterrence and defence plans, as well as exercise programmes, presented by NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Christopher Cavoli. The need for a focused build-up of allied interoperability and future Alliance activities to achieve multi-domain interoperability was discussed.

Expanding military cooperation and partnerships in the face of growing global instability was also a focus of the meeting. The Chiefs of Defence also discussed the situation in Ukraine and the mechanisms for providing support to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. 

The meeting was the last for the current NATO Military Committee Chair Admiral Robert Bauer. On this occasion, Admiral Eftimov, as the doyen of the Military Committee, addressed Admiral Bauer on behalf of all the chiefs of defence. Eftimov noted the major achievements of the NATO Military Committee under Bauer's leadership and emphasized his key role in providing military recommendations for decision-making by the political leadership of the Alliance. He welcomed the new Chair, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and expressed confidence that he would continue to develop and build on the achievements made so far.

Eftimov also held a bilateral meeting with French Chief of Defence General Thierry Burkhard, with whom he discussed issues related to bilateral military cooperation, the release said.